American Volunteerism: Reward and Retention

by Jane Dunham

Why People Don't Volunteer

• Not enough time

• Lack of understanding of program – job, organization, clientele

• Fear of commitment – cost, adding responsibility

• Insecurity about skills

• Bad volunteer experience

• Unfriendly to newcomers – too exclusive

• Cultural/environmental obstacles – language, transportation, child care

• Job does not sound exciting

• Organization too controversial

• Recruitment goals too general

Why People Do Volunteer and How to Recognize Them

Professional Development

• Want to learn new or skills or develop current ones further; may need a resume filler during unemployment

• Recognition - things to use in future interviews including: reference letters, certificate, and  performance appraisals.

Social Contact

• Want to be with other people of similar interest

• Recognition - fun social activity including: banquet, picnic, and bowling night.

Social Responsibility (Altruism)

• Want to make “a difference.” May have had a similar experience themselves and now want to be on giving end. Willing to do what others consider boring jobs.

• Recognition - post newspaper articles about the value of the work and post or pass around testimonials from those who were helped.

Achievement

• Take on big assignments and carry them out much as a paid staff person would do.

• Recognition - include in staff meetings, ask their advice about other projects, and let them know their expertise is valued.
  

Life Cycle of a Volunteer and How to Meet the Needs

Exploratory Stage

• Offer acceptance – cheerleading, encouragement

• Quality control – make corrections early

• Develop a basis of retention

• Written information at first - people who get paper are more likely to return and do more formal orientation a bit later, if there is a group.

• Allow time to observe others – learn, develop social rapport, and build confidence

• Don’t leave alone at first - have a key person work closely with them because if they fee lost, they will not return.
  

• Be sure the key person has time to answer questions and assist and isn’t always tied up on the phone or conferring with others

Developmental

• Confidence and competence are gained

• Commitment to organization and sense of belonging begins

• Need contact with other people to keep motivated. A peer group is important.

• Put together a homogeneous group of volunteers that will keep together socially.

• Give them a chance to move up- find out what skills they have and make use of those skills if possible

• Recognition needed at this point

Mature

• Committed to job and likely to remain

• Able to teach others and analyze organizational needs

• Need to feel included in decision making and planning

Rewarding Volunteers

Social Reinforcers (“Pats on the Back”)

• People need and respond well to appreciation and gratitude

• Guidelines:

• Sincerity – Always be sincere in your praise. This helps gain trust and increases respect for the reinforcer.
• Specificity – Be precise about what you are praising. This appears more sincere and reinforces work that is being done well.
• Immediacy – Praise when the job is done, not months later.
• Personalization – Don’t send praise through third parties; don’t e-mail praise if personal contact is possible; and don’t use the “we” if you can use “I.”

Tangible Reinforcers

• Find out what they really want – e.g., favorite snack, gift certificate for favorite hobby, for movies, for a restaurant. Don’t give things they don’t want – e.g. buttons or t-shirts might not be something the volunteer will wear..

• Make sure the reinforcer is cost effective.

• Don’t make promises unless you can deliver.

• Look for reinforcers that can be used frequently - e.g., t-shirts, caps, mugs, calendars (can only be used once).

• Also have reinforcers that can be used more frequently: outings such as a bowling night or picnic; gift or flower certificates.

The Don'ts List

• Don’t confuse reinforcement with bribery. Reward a behavior, not the promise of doing something.

• Don’t make “Praise Sandwiches.” Don’t say, “I really liked what you did, but….” Mixing praise with punishment creates a cringe factor – volunteers will be expecting bad news to follow future praise.

• Don’t start competition within group. Don’t make rewards available only to the “best” person. It creates a hostile atmosphere instead of fostering collaboration. If necessary, measure instead against previous performance of that volunteer.

• Don’t take things lightly. Don’t give praise or rewards where they aren’t deserved. A “Volunteer of the Month” award to someone who hasn’t done very much will ring hollow.

• Don’t stop once you get results. Keep on reinforcing.

• Don’t let the volunteer run out of work to do. Boredom is deadly.

Orientation of Volunteer to Organization and Staff

• History, background of organization

• Organizational structure (staff hierarchy)

• Tour and meet staff - very important or the volunteer may end up feeling like an outsider till it is too late.
  

• Introduce new staff members, volunteers, and visiting dignitaries.

• General policies (confidentiality, lunch breaks)

• Grievance procedure (make sure they understand that they, too, have rights)

• Paperwork (release of liability, expense forms, time sheets)

Preparing the Staff for Volunteers

• Make sure everyone understands why volunteers are needed.

• Allay feelings of apprehension about their own “territory” and jobs.

• Explain the role that the volunteers will play.
  

• Get a commitment to assisting and training the volunteers.
  

• Provide staff with enough time to do this properly.

• Staff should work alongside volunteers when tedious tasks are being done, like collating and stapling. This keeps volunteers from thinking that they are doing all the undesirable work.

• Ask for staff feedback about volunteers’ work during staff meetings, and discuss any issues that arise.